Shenzhou 10

Prior to the reboost of Tiangong-1 on 30 August 2012, it was projected that a launch window would open between late November and December 2012, when Tiangong-1's orbit had decayed to the level of a Shenzhou's standard orbit. With the reboost, it was expected that the orbital decay would bring Tiangong-1 within reach again in late January, so the Shenzhou 10 mission was anticipated for late January or February 2013.{{cite web|last=Christy|first=Robert |url=http://www.spacedaily.com/reports/Tiangong_Orbit_Change_Signals_Likely_Date_for_Shenzhou_10_999.html |title=Tiangong Orbit Change Signals Likely Date for Shenzhou 10|website=Space Daily|date=4 September 2012|access-date=16 July 2021}} At the 18th National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party, a space official stated that Shenzhou 10 was planned for the period between June and August 2013.{{cite news|last1=Wang|first1=Aileen |last2=Edwards|first2=Nick |editor-last=Popeski|editor-first=Ron |url=http://www.newsdaily.com/stories/bre8a909c-us-china-space/ |title=China to launch new manned spaceship in 2013: Xinhua |work=NewsDaily |agency=Reuters|date=10 November 2012|access-date=2012-11-11|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121115094721/http://www.newsdaily.com/stories/bre8a909c-us-china-space/|archive-date=15 November 2012|url-status=dead}}

It is the fifth crewed mission of the Shenzhou program, coming ten years after the original, Shenzhou 5.{{cite news |first=Christopher |last=Bodeen |title=China marks decade of human spaceflight |url=http://www.newsdaily.com/article/a71360332754a7dd40a97420c0578b2b/china-marks-decade-of-human-spaceflight |date=10 June 2013 |work=NewsDaily |agency=Associated Press|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130610110159/http://www.newsdaily.com/article/a71360332754a7dd40a97420c0578b2b/china-marks-decade-of-human-spaceflight|archive-date=10 June 2013|url-status=dead}}

From 2012 November onwards, a feed of information ensued, including a desire for the crew to have a female member and that the actual launch date would be at the beginning of the June–August period. Knowledge of the conditions that China sets for launch windows for its piloted spacecraft allowed the likely launch date to be calculated as somewhere in the period between 7 and 13 June.{{cite web |website=Zarya.info |url=http://www.zarya.info/blog/?p=665 |title=Shenzhou 10 – Heads Up! |first=Robert |last=Christy |date=11 March 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130616025212/http://www.zarya.info/blog/?p=665 |archive-date=16 June 2013}}

Xinhua News Agency published an item from the Beijing Times that summed up the aims of the mission, and included the information that Wang Yaping was the only female trainee in the group of astronaut candidates.{{cite news|url=http://news.xinhuanet.com/mil/2013-04/01/c_115225503_2.htm |title=神十抵酒泉6月至8月发射 王亚平成唯一候选女航天员|trans-title=Shenzhou 10 arrived at Jiuquan for launch June–August, Yaping is the only female astronaut candidate|work=Beijing Times |via=Xinhua News Agency |date=1 April 2013|access-date=16 July 2021 |language=zh|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130404050200/http://news.xinhuanet.com/mil/2013-04/01/c_115225503_2.htm |archive-date=4 April 2013 |url-status=dead}} Wang Yaping was announced to be one of the crew in April 2013, the only member of the crew revealed until June, when the rest of the crew was revealed. The crew of Shenzhou 10 previously served as the backup crew to Shenzhou 9.{{cite web |first=Morris |last=Jones |title=Shenzhou's Shadow Crew |url=http://www.spacedaily.com/reports/Shenzhous_Shadow_Crew_999.html |website=Space Daily|date=3 April 2013|access-date=16 July 2021}}{{cite web |website=Space Daily |title=Astronauts of Shenzhou-10 mission meet press |url=http://www.spacedaily.com/reports/Astronauts_of_Shenzhou_10_mission_meet_press_999.html |date=11 June 2013|access-date=16 July 2021}} With Nie Haisheng's elevation to general, this marked the first instance that China would launch a flag officer into space, after they had become a general officer.{{cite web |website= Space Daily |url= http://www.spacedaily.com/reports/Chinas_space_dream_crystallized_with_Shenzhou_10_launch_999.html |title= China's space dream crystallized with Shenzhou-10 launch |date= 16 June 2013 |access-date=16 July 2021}}

Shenzhou 10 was launched on 11 June 2013, at 09:38 UTC (17:38 local time). A Long March 2F{{cite web|url=http://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2013/06/china-launch-three-shenzhou-10/|title=China launches three person crew on Shenzhou-10|date=10 June 2013|access-date=12 June 2013|first=Rui C.|last=Barbosa|website=NASASpaceFlight.com}} carrier rocket was used to perform the launch, flying from Pad 1 of the South Launch Site at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in Inner Mongolia. The spacecraft successfully reached low Earth orbit before the rocket detached. With a duration of 15 days, Shenzhou 10 was China's longest human spaceflight mission to date,{{cite news|first=Andy|last=Wong|url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/06/11/shenzhou-10-launch-chinese-spacecraft-astronauts-mission_n_3420553.html|title=Shenzhou 10 Launch: Chinese Spacecraft Blasts Off With Three Astronauts on 15-Day Mission|website=The Huffington Post|agency=Associated Press|date=11 June 2013|access-date=11 June 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130616062222/http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/06/11/shenzhou-10-launch-chinese-spacecraft-astronauts-mission_n_3420553.html|archive-date=16 June 2013|url-status=dead}}{{cite web|first=Karl|last=Tate |url=http://www.space.com/21507-shenzhou-10-china-mission-infographic.html|title=Shenzhou 10 Explained: Chinese Astronauts Head to Space Lab (Infographic) |website=Space.com|date=11 June 2013|access-date=11 June 2013}} surpassing the previous record holder, Shenzhou 9 by two days.{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-china-18636819|title=China's Shenzhou-9 spacecraft returns to Earth|publisher=BBC News|date=29 June 2012|access-date=11 June 2013}} CPC General Secretary, Chinese President Xi Jinping was present for both the departure ceremony, and the launch itself.{{cite news |editor-first=Shasha |editor-last=Deng |agency=Xinhua News Agency |title=Chinese President sees off Shenzhou-10 crew, watches spacecraft launch |url=http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/china/2013-06/11/c_132448478.htm |date=11 June 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130616231515/http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/china/2013-06/11/c_132448478.htm |archive-date=16 June 2013}}

The spacecraft docked with Tiangong-1 at 05:11 UTC on 13 June. The crew opened the hatch three hours later and entered the laboratory module.{{cite news |publisher=BBC News|title=Shenzhou-10: Chinese capsule docks with space laboratory |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-china-22871325 |date=13 June 2013 |access-date=14 June 2013}}

Shenzhou 10 returned to Earth on Wednesday, 26 June 2013 00:07 UTC. Total mission duration was 14 days 14 hours and 29 minutes.{{cite web |last=Atkinson|first=Nancy |title=China's Shenzhou-10 Crew Returns to Earth|url=https://www.universetoday.com/103158/chinas-shenzou-10-crew-returns-to-earth/ |website=Universe Today|date=26 June 2013 |access-date=4 July 2017}}

Once docked at Tiangong-1, the three crew members conducted space medicine and technological experiments and other scientific endeavours. Nie Haisheng was mission commander, overseeing docking procedures, and pilot Zhang Xiaoguang was in charge of rendezvous and docking. Wang Yaping conducted the scientific experiments and taught a physics lesson to Chinese students by live television broadcast.{{cite web |first=Stephen |last=Clark |website=Spaceflight Now |title=Successful start for China's fifth human spaceflight |url=http://www.spaceflightnow.com/china/shenzhou10/130611launch/ |date=11 June 2013 |access-date=11 June 2013}} On 23 June, Shenzhou 10 undocked from the station and performed a manual re-docking.{{cite news|url=http://www.china.org.cn/china/2013-06/23/content_29203515.htm|title=Shenzhou-10 completes manual docking|work=China Internet Information Center|agency=Xinhua News Agency|date=23 June 2013|access-date=16 July 2021}}

{{Spaceflight crew

|terminology = Crew member

|references =

|position1 = Commander

|crew1_up = Nie Haisheng {{Flagicon|CHN}}

|agency1_up =

|flights1_up = Second

|expedition1_up =

|position2 = Operator

|crew2_up = Zhang Xiaoguang {{Flagicon|CHN}}

|agency2_up =

|flights2_up = First

|expedition2_up =

|position3 = Laboratory Assistant

|crew3_up = Wang Yaping {{Flagicon|CHN}}

|agency3_up =

|flights3_up = First

|expedition3_up =

}}

While in orbit, Wang Yaping was one of only two women in space on 16 June 2013, the 50th anniversary of Vostok 6, the first space flight by a woman, Valentina Tereshkova. The other woman in space that day was Karen Nyberg on board the International Space Station.{{cite web |last=Kremer|first=Ken |title=Cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova; 1st Woman in Space 50 Years Ago! Ready for Mars |url= http://www.universetoday.com/102956/cosmonaut-valentina-tereshkova-1st-woman-in-space-50-years-ago-ready-for-mars/|website=Universe Today |date=16 June 2013|access-date=16 July 2021}}

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{{Commons category}}

• {{cite news|url=http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=50149653n |title=Shenzhou 10 docking test - video|publisher=CBS News |date=25 June 2013}}
• {{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/video/2013/jun/26/china-shenzhou-10-spacecraft-earth-video |title=China's Shenzhou 10 spacecraft returns to Earth - video |work=The Guardian |date=25 June 2013}}

{{Shenzhou program|before=Shenzhou 9|after=Shenzhou 11}}

{{Orbital launches in 2013}}

Category:2013 in China

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Category:Shenzhou program

Category:Spacecraft launched in 2013

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